Open Waters
by kurrokocchii
Summary: Moving back to your hometown after years can be daunting, especially when there are memories there you do not want to face. When you feel your fears are closing in on you, is there any way to push pass them, and make the waters open to you once again?
1. Chapter 1

**Open Waters**

**Chapter One**

**An Old Face**

A gust of wind sent a curtain of light-brown hair to obscure her vision, turning everything on the outside hazy. Hana sighed and pushed the stray strands off her face, using the hair tie on her wrist to pull her hair back into a neat ponytail.

With no haze of light brown interrupting her vision, Hana returned to gazing at the outside. It was so strange, looking at these views again. She never thought she'd come back to Iwatobi, ever.

She had used to live in this town, before her father's job demanded he relocate for work. The whole family had been dragged off. But now, they had returned, and that also meant that she could be going to school again.

Hana felt a flurry of nerves at the prospect of being back amongst people who used to be her friends, but were now nothing more than strangers to her.

_How much as this place changed since I left? How have the people changed?_

Anxiety clawing inside her, Hana turned away from the view and glanced in the mirror, biting down on her lip as she smoothed down her skirt for the third time in the last five minutes. Huge butterflies attacked the lining of her stomach as she ran through a mental checklist, ensuring she had everything she needed for school.

_I'm sure I have everything. I triple-checked last night_. Hana blew out heavily and checked the clock above her bed. It was just about time to leave.

Smoothing her skirt down one last time and tucking a strand of hair that had escaped the hold of her ponytail behind her ear, Hana bounded on over to her bed, where her bag was sitting. Hitching it over one shoulder, she hurried out into the kitchen, where her mother and father were seated, enjoying cups of steaming coffee.

"I'm headed for school," she said, a nervous tremor to her voice as she stooped down, quickly embracing them both before she left.

Mae, her mother, squeezed her hand before she left. "Don't be afraid, honey. You have lived here before, you know. It's just a new school."

Hana exhaled and managed a weak smile. "I'll bet no one will remember me if they did know me before, Mum. And I'm still the new girl. Everyone will have changed, you know. I-I know I have."

"Hana, you'll be fine," her dad, Ren, said reassuringly. He was always the calming, reassuring one of the household, compared to the few panic attacks Mae and her daughter sometimes fell prey to.

Hana managed to smile and even laugh lightly before she backed out of the kitchen, waving as she left.

"I'll see you later then, I guess," she said, awkward because of her nerves.

She closed the door to her home and took in a deep breath, hearing it click shut behind her. She turned around and walked down her path and on to the street, where she began her trek to school.

Hana glanced around the village as she walked. Her pace was a little quicker than usual as she tried to burn off her nervous energy. _It's strange_, she thought, drinking in the sight of the town as she walked by. _I've been gone for a few years, and yet little has changed, and I still feel like a complete stranger here_.

A car drove past. Hana placed both hands over her skirt to keep it from flying upward. While this had been the place she'd grown up and spent her childhood, Hana had changed since then. She'd grown up, and was "borderlining womanhood," as her mother so plainly put it.

And now as she walked, she saw everything with a different eye. Things weren't just magic and fairy tales anymore. She'd accepted those things didn't exist long ago, and was now facing the much harsher reality. Those harsher experiences had changed her perspective of the world a fair bit.

As she walked, Hana kept sneaking glances off to her left. When she looked in that direction the ocean glared back at her, sunlight bouncing off the dark blue, the surface of the water looking like it was made from the faces of a diamonds. Hana smiled at the sight. The water looked so beautiful and inviting from where she stood, but she'd never swim in it. Never.

Not after that day.

As the thought rose, Hana quickly tried to shove it back into a dark corner of her mind. But it was no use, the emotions, sights, sounds and her thoughts of that day crashed down around her, like a large wave being dumped over her head. The fear. The uncertainty. The cries. The panic. Her shallow breath. The adults around her, holding onto each other as they sobbed.

It had been a large, overwhelming thing for a young girl to take in.

Hana inhaled sharply and walked at a brisker pace, as though she could outrun her turbulent thoughts. But she couldn't; the memories were overtaking her, pulling her into a whirlpool she couldn't escape from.

_It's in the past_, she told herself firmly as she walked, keeping her eyes averted from the sea to her left. Even if she couldn't see it, she could still hear it; she could hear the waves rolling on the beach, and smell that salty tang of the ocean. _In the past. Not now. In the past. Why are you so afraid of a memory?_

Hana shook her head. She wouldn't have been able to make it through that event if she hadn't had her good friend by her side. But they'd lost contact long ago, right after she moved. The move had been shortly after the accident. Hana couldn't remember much about it other than the house being emptied, their bags packed and the car loaded. She remembered twisting around in the back seat, pressing her fingers against the glass and watched the figure of her friend grow smaller and smaller as they drove. The last memory she had of him was his shocked and forlorn expression as he watched his next door neighbour and best friend drive away.

_I wonder where he is_, she mused, turning a corner on the path._We lost contact soon after I moved_. Her eyes widened as a sudden realisation hit her in the face. _If he hasn't moved, we might be going to the same school_. It was a possibility, but Hana didn't dare to get her hopes up. She didn't fancy feeling crushed early on in the morning.

It was only a ten minute walk to Iwatobi High. The whole way, Hana took in the sight of her town, comparing it from years ago to now.

Before she knew it, Hana was walking through the gates to Iwatobi High. Instantly, she found herself surrounded by people she didn't know, a large building looming over her. The nerves she'd worked off in her walk suddenly returned, her heart throwing itself against her chest. Hana was sure she was shaking slightly, her eyes sweeping every laughing person in the crowd, wondering if anyone looked over at her as she walked past, eyes widening as they might have recognised her.

Hana tried not to show how nervous she was as she walked along, though she tried to shrink into the background. She'd never been too comfortable being thrown into new environments, and this school was huge.

At least she didn't walk around like a lost puppy. Hana had memorised what she needed to do, and headed straight for administration.

The administration was fairly close, and it didn't take long for Hana to reach it. Pushing the door open she stepped inside, met with the familiar sight of school administration. She walked up to one of the women behind the large desk, cleared and throat and murmured, "Um, excuse me?"

The woman looked up and, spotting the young girl, smiled. "Good morning. How may I help you?"

Hana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Uh, I'm Etsumi Hana. I'm new this year, in the second grade."

"Oh!" The woman nodded and reached over, sorting through a few papers. "One moment."

When Hana exited the building, she had several papers in her hand. She scanned them as she walked, quietly reading the words to herself.

"Class one," she murmured. "Okay, homeroom first. Now to find it."

Though the school was large, it was easy to manoeuvre. Hana soon found her homeroom class and scuttled inside. There were only a few people in the room, so Hana took this as to opportunity to choose a desk by the widow and sat down, shrinking back into her chair. She glanced out of the window and sighed.

Slowly, the class filled up, and Hana kept her eyes on the outside. She heard chatter and laughter and the scraping of chairs against the wooden floor, sounds she was used to hearing from her previous school. But somehow, in this new environment, it sounded slightly different as different voices filled the air, and different chairs were dragged along the ground.

And then, all noise ceased. Hana looked forward, and saw a young woman in front of them. It was obvious she was their teacher.

The teacher was all smiles. It wasn't long until all members of the class deduced that she was fairly odd. She was a teacher of classical literature, was all smiles, gentle in nature, and quite girly and quirky in personality. She even added quotes from old text into her speech.

She had introduced herself as Amakata Miho.

A little later, she started the roll call. Hana lazed forward on her desk, her hand cupping her cheek and her elbow holding her head upright. Strands of hair covered her face, a curtain of security for her.

A few names were read, and Hana vaguely recognised a small number of them. However, she didn't really pay attention to any of the names until she heard her own being called out.

"Etsumi Hana."

Hana looked up slightly, peeking through the strands of her fringe. "Hai," she called back. She spoke softly, trying not to attract any more attention to herself than necessary, staring straight ahead and not paying attention to anyone who cast a glance her way.

She'd already received a few stares as the new girl, and didn't want that attention to increase.

"Tachibana Makoto," the teacher called next.

Hana didn't let this name go. No, she heard it as clearly as she had her first name. She instantly reacted to it by freezing as though dumped dressed in summer clothing into the Artic, and then nearly collapsed out of shock.

_Makoto? Did she say... Makoto?_Tachibana Makoto_? No, she couldn't have... Makoto?_

Hana's eyes widened and she glanced around the class, trying to pinpoint the boy wit he all-to familiar name. Surely not. Surely I misheard. I knew it was a possibility, but I never thought it could possibly become reality...

Though it appeared Hana's ears hadn't as she heard a voice reply, "Hai." His voice. Even his voice sounded familiar.

And, when Hana located his face, she gasped. He was staring at her, and she stared at him. That's definitely him, she thought, dizzy with shock.

Makoto, her childhood friend.

She hadn't spoken to him since she left.

The roll finished soon after. Hana would have gotten out of her chair to to talk to him, embrace him, to greet her childhood friend, but then it was announced they had to go to opening assembly.

Makoto had already been swallowed up by the sea of students headed for the assembly. With a sigh, Hana put her hands in her pockets, and joined everyone else in the back of the line, telling herself she'd speak to her friend later.

Once opening assembly was over, Hana pushed her way through the crowd. Her small size made it a little difficult, but she kept her eyes on one face that stood out from all others in the sea of students. She'd been itching to speak to him throughout the whole assembly, but they had been seated so far apart the little endeavor proved to be impossible.

"Mako!" she cried as she neared. She yelled loudly, hoping he'd hear her. "Mako! _Makoto_!"

Finally, he heard her. He turned to face the direction her voice had come from. "Hana?" he called back, smiling. He pushed his way through the crowd and soon they stood in front of each other.

There was a pause, and then Hana jumped at him, wrapping her arms around him. Makoto laughed and returned the gesture.

"I didn't know you were back in the area," he said through his laughter.

Hana chuckled. "I got here three days ago, and have been busy unpacking and all that." She shrugged her shoulders lightly and stepped back.

He raised an eyebrow. "You could have dropped by," he pointed out plainly with lazy smile. "Knocked on the door. One of my family would have answered, and you would have received your answer."

Hana flushed a deep tomato red. Like always, he could pinpoint when she was bluffing, and making excuses. "I-I wasn't sure if you were still here!" she tried protesting, but knew that next to his point, it was a weak argument. Plus, she had tripped over her words.

"You would have found out," he repeated, grinning.

_He's got me cornered here. I can't back out of admitting the truth, no matter how hard I might try_. Hana desperately tried to find a few escape routes, a quirky retort, but she gave up, blushed an even deeper red, and looked down. "I was nervous," she admitted sheepishly.

"Nervous?" He laughed, as though he found the thought ridiculous. Which, it sort of was, Hana reflected ruefully. "About what?"

She shrugged, hands in her pockets. She kicked out at the ground, trying to appear as casual as possible when in reality, she felt ready to die of embarrassment. "I don't know. But moving back here... it's been weird. I just, wasn't sure. If you'd changed do much, I wouldn't recognise you."

Makoto stared at her for a minute, then shook his head, light brown hair flopping around his face. "Hana, you haven't changed one bit."

"Neither have you." She grinned and poked him lightly in the stomach. "You still swimming, then?" Hana recalled how much her friend had adored swimming, how he would go to the pool so he could swim. Hana would sometimes join him, but she'd only swim in the shallow end as Makoto practiced, both of them under the close eye of their parents.

Makoto nodded, and he smiled. "Yes. Not during winter though, and not competitively either, not since Haru quit competitive swimming. And," he said with a sigh, "our swimming club shut down."

Despite her initial surprise over the news that Makoto had joined a swimming club after she left, the one name that was spoken stuck in head. "Haru?" Hana repeated, tilting her head to the side. She scrunched her eyebrows together. The name struck a dull chord in the back of her mind.

"You met him a few times. But he was mostly swimming." Makoto smiled, a little indulgently. "He too hasn't changed since then." He glanced around the assembly grounds and sighed. "And, he's not here today."

"Is he sick?" Hana asked instantly, concern sprouting through her body. She didn't really know Haru, but knowing people were in distress always sent a horrible chill down her body. After that day, anyone who was hurt received all her concern and compassion, as she didn't want them to experience anything nearly as terrible as what she'd gone through.

Makoto shook his head no. "Not likely. He's most likely in the water."

Hana was confused. "But, you said you didn't swim when it was too cold," she pointed out, chewing her lip as she contemplated this contradiction.

At this, Makoto laughed. "When's it's too cold to swim, he just soaks in the bath."

Hana groaned, closing her eyes and placing her head in her hands. "_Wow_," she drawled. "Soaks in the bath just to be in water? It's a bit small for swimming."

"Well, Haru just wants to feel the water. He's not fussed with times or competitions."

"Oh. I see." Hana nodded, and a distant silence fell between them.

"Hey," Makoto said, breaking the silence. Hana glanced up at him, tucking a sheet of hair behind her warm clearing her vision. "Do you want to eat? There's a great place on the roof Haru and I eat every lunch."

Hana smiled. "That sounds great."

Not long after, the two stood on the roof of the school. Hana smiled, her elbows resting on the ledge as she leaned forward, the wind gently playing with her hair. The view was stunning, and Hana smiled as she ate and talked with Makoto.

It was amazing. They'd barely reunited for ten minutes, yet they'd already easily slipped back into their old friendship. If possible, they were getting along better than they were as kids.

Hana wondered how Haru was. She vaguely remembered him, for they hadn't met often, and his name stuck in her mind as she tried to remember more about him, of this person in her past.

She was virtually unsuccessful, but two things did stick out in her mind: one was how he loved the water, and the second was how mature he had been for his age.

"This place is great," she whispered, a content sigh mixed in with her words. "I'm sorry I ever moved away from here."

"It was hard to see my neighbour go," Makoto said lightly, smiling. Hana chuckled, her gaze fixated on the horizon. From up here, she could see the ocean glaring back at her, it's smooth surface masking the storm that lay beneath the gentle waves.

Images of that day rose again, and Hana went to push them away. But, she thought, looking a little over at Makoto, he had been there as well.

"So, how are you holding up?" she asked. "Y'know... after that day?"

There was a pause. The atmosphere changed, cheerful to solemn. This was a topic Hana knew she tried to avoid, and she was sure Mako tried to avoid it as much as possible as well.

"Fine," he replied. "Still fearful of the ocean, but I've recovered. Mostly." He looked over at her. "But I should be the one to ask you that. You went through more than me that day. And then you moved so soon after and we lost contact." He paused. "We were all worried about you. So, are you holding up okay, Hana?"

Hana felt her heart clench at his words. She squeezed her eyes shut, memories once again flashing through her head. Cold as sharp as knives. Heart-pounding fear. Shortness of breath. Panic.

Hana shook her head, trying to shake the memories off. She stayed with her eyes closed for a long time, recompomsing herself as she realised that she was beginning to panic. Once she felt herself calm down, she slowly reopened her eyes.

"I don't swim," was all she said, and it was enough for Makoto to understand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Open Waters**

**Chapter Two**

**Meetings and Greetings**

The heat from the toaster radiated up to roughly caress Hana's fingers. After picking the two slices of toast up with her fingertips and hastily dropping them on to a plate nearby, Hana shook her hand in attempt to ward off the slight burning sensation left behind.

The toast now out of the toaster, Hana opened the butter and started to spread it across the now golden-brown bread. She pursed her lips as she worked. Hana had never liked spreading anything over her bread. Somehow, she had never gotten the hang of it.

There was a knock at the door. Thinking it was for her parents, Hana let it go, allowing them to answer it as she plonked herself at the dining room table, ready to eat her breakfast. She was ready for her second day at school in every other way, and would be ready to leave once the toast had disappeared from her plate.

Hana could hear voices float from the hall into the dining room where she was seated. She just picked up her mother's voice, but the second was more muffled. It sounded male, though.

"Hana!" Mae called. "There's someone here for you!"

"Hmm?" Hana called back as best she could though closed lips and a mouthful of toast. She swallowed and stood, hurrying for the door. "Who is -"

She rounded the corner, and her answer stood before her. A wry smile crossed her lips._I should've known._

"What are you doing here?" she asked Makoto, grinning as she spoke.

He smiled back. "You gave me your address yesterday. Since this place is on the way from my house to school, I came to see if you'd like to come with us."

"Us?" Hana repeated, confused. She didn't see anyone else with Makoto.

"Oh, sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was going to drop by at Haru's, and make sure he gets to school today."

_Oh. That makes sense. Well, in that case..._

She smiled. "I'd love to," she said. "Hold on, let me grab my bag. I'll be right back."

Hana made a quick dash for her bedroom, her feet pounding on the floor. Once she arrived, she swung her bag over her shoulder, and then headed for the kitchen where her slices of toast were waiting. Her bag bumped against her back as she ran, scooping the toast as she headed for the front door once more.

"Right." She beamed once she stood in front of Makoto once more. Turning around, she waved a quick goodbye to her parents. "See you later!"

There was the usual chorus of, "Have a good day, sweetheart!" before the door closed, and the two trudged on to school. Hana nibbled on her buttered toast as she walked. It was still slightly warm, though the chill to the air would soon make a change to that. She increased her eating speed, making the most of the toast while it was still warm.

Once she finished, she wiped to mouth to rid it of any crumbs that might cling to the skin and turned to Makoto. They had been walking in comfortable silence until this point. "So," she started casually. "Haru. Anything I should be warned of before I meet him?"

He frowned thoughtfully. "Well," he began, "the first thing you really need to know is that Haru loves the water. He'd do anything to be immersed in it. And when he swims, he only swims freestyle."

_God, isn't that the direct opposite to me?_

"Second, he loves mackerel almost as much as he loves to be in the water. He's rather serious and not exactly one for conversations, so he can come across as cold at times. But don't let that bother you, he's like that to everyone." Makoto shrugged. "That's basically all the major things you need to know about Nanase Haru."

Hana smiled, nodding her head slightly. "Okay. Warnings heeded." She looked a little into the distance. "I hope we get along," she said after a pause. "I'd like to join you guys on the way to school. It sure beats having to walk alone."

"I'm sure it does." As though a sudden thought had hit him, he looked across at her, concerned. "You sound like you're talking from experience." Though he didn't say it, Hana knew what was on his mind: did you have any friends where you moved to?

She chuckled inwardly. "Yes, I do speak from experience. However, that was only because all my friends lived on the opposite end of town to me, so I there was no way I could walk with them." she gestured out with her arms. "What can you do?"

At her words, Hana noticed Makoto relaxed with every word she spoke. She rolled her eyes inwardly. Same old Makoto, so concerned as to how everyone else was feeling. That definitely hadn't changed about him.

They approached the bottom of a hill. Hans tilted her head fully back to get a look at it and grimaced. "Don't tell me we have to climb all the way up _there_."

Makoto looked at her apologetically. "Sorry Hana."

Hana huffed, but didn't make any other outward sign of annoyance. "Alright then. Let's do this."

Hana stayed just behind Makoto as they started to ascend. As if the hill wasn't enough to deal with, they had to use stairs to climb up that hill. Hana groaned inwardly but kept going. Her thigh muscles were soon protesting, but she forced herself to ignore it.

Finally, they reached the top. Hana was embarrassed to say she was out of breath. _I guess I need to work out more_, she thought wryly. She gave herself five seconds to recover, and then ran up to stand by Makoto as he ran to doorbell of the house that must be Haru's.

They waited. Hana stared at the door expectantly, tapping her foot against the ground. Makoto stepped back and glanced up at the top of the house. "Oh, come on..." he sighed.

"Makoto?" Hana asked, just as her friend turned. She followed him, only to find him enter the house through another door.

"Excuse me," Makoto called as he walked in as casually as though it were his own house. Hana was a little more cautious, debating in her head about whether it was polite to enter the house of someone you didn't know, and if she should either continue of turn back and wait outside.

In the end, she chose to stay inside. She'd feel awkward if she just hung around by the front door.

By the time she made up her mind and looked around for Makoto, he'd disappeared into some room. With a small sigh, she sauntered over to one of the chairs in the kitchen and plonked herself down, waiting for her friend to appear once more.

She wasn't kept waiting long. "Hey, Hana -" Makoto called. She perked up and saw him walk out of a room, another person behind him.

But Hana didn't pay attention to what her friend said next. Instead, she froze, and began to ultimately freak out once she spotted the person who walked out behind her friend.

She suddenly wished she had decided to hang around awkwardly outside.

_Um, um, shirtless guy_, she exclaimed inwardly, not even getting a good look at his face. Instantly, she was flustered; her cheeks heated up to a tomato red and she glanced frantically around the room. _Oh, crap, where do I look? I can't just stare at him, I don't even know him, well, I know his name but I don't really know him, and this is his_house_. God,_where do I look_? How can I make this situation_not_turn out awkward?_

In the end, she stared at the floor. However, that didn't change the fact she was very aware that a guy was walking around the house in just his swim shorts. The hormonal side to her brain wanted to look up and stare, but she forced her eyes to remain downcast.

"Uh..." Makoto coughed. "Well, Haru, do you remember Etsumi Hana? You met a few times before..."

"Yes. I remember," Haru replied shortly. Hana felt her blush extend down to her neck as Haru walked past her. She didn't look up, but she did see his bare feet walk across the ground. Once he'd vanished from her sight, Hana released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and slumped back into her seat, eyes closed.

_God, I probably just made a massive fool out of myself. Good job Hana, good job. Exactly the sort of first impression you need to make._

Feet hit the ground, and the sound stopped near her. "Hana?" Makoto questioned, coming to stand beside her. "Is everything alright?"

Knowing he at least had a shirt on, Hana allowed opened her eyes and allowed then to travel cautiously upward to meet Makoto's concerned, gentle face. She eyed him incredulously. "What do you _think_?" she squeaked. "Haru's shirtless. _Shirtless_! You could have given me some warning!"

For some odd reason, Makoto laughed lightly. "That's the problem?"

"Of _course_ it is! Where can I look without making this seem awkward?" she hissed back.

Makoto shook his head wearily. "I'm sure Haru isn't the only boy you've seen shirtless. You've sure;y been to the pool sometimes? Wait..." he trailed off. "You probably haven't."

He was undoubtedly expecting Hana to say that yes, she hadn't been a pool since she'd moved away. But, to his surprise, she nodded. "Yes. A few times, when I was younger. My parents would go swimming occasionally, and I couldn't be left behind." She sighed. "But that was by the pool, and I was younger. Now that I'm older, seeing shirtless guys, it's different, don't you understand?" But since he was a boy and a swimmer, Hana didn't expect him to.

She wasn't surprised when he exhaled heavily and shook hid head. "Hana, you're just making it more awkward by not looking," he pointed out. "Just, try to go along with it."

Hana bit her lip. "You sure?"

"Quite sure." Sending one last smile her way, Makoto moved away and moved to stand beside Haru, who was cooking something.

Even though Makoto had told her just to look, Hana still felt a little uncomfortable about doing so. So, she let her hair fall out of its ponytail and used it to cover half her face so she was observing the scene through strands of hair.

"Wait, _why_ are you grilling fish?" Makoto exclaimed suddenly, just as Hana summonded the courage to look. She was soon met with the sight of Makoto staring at Haru like he was out of his mind, and Haru just standing there, grilling fish... with an apron over his swimsuit.

_That's the oddest combination of clothes I have ever seen_, Hana thought. She decided then that Nanase Haru wasn't exactly normal.

"I haven't had breakfast," Haru replied nonchalantly.

Makoto sighed, "And you're wearing an apron over a swimsuit. Aren't you cold?"

"I don't want to get oil on my swimsuit."

Hana shook her head, rolling her eyes heavenward. They were brought back down to earth when she heard something that sounded like a toaster. Sure enough, two slices of toasted bread popped out of the toaster. Haru must have put the toaster on whilst she and Makoto had been talking.

"Toast and fish?" Makoto questioned, his voice weak.

_Such an odd breakfast_, Hana thought, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head.

Haru finished cooking his breakfast and turned around to sit down. As he did, Hana felt her eyes connect with his, blue on blue, even if hers were several shades lighter than his and had a greyish tinge to them.

Hana heard herself gasp as she caught a proper look of Haru's face. One memory flew into her mind and she hastily shut it down, but now she had a face to the name she realised she knew Haru more than she thought she did.

"I know you," she whispered, their eyes still locked. Hana thought she caught a trace of recognition in his eyes as well.

And though he was in a small handful of her childhood memories, the one he was most prominent in wasn't exactly the best memory she had.

Class had passed slowly. For Hana at least, the minutes seemed to drag by. Somehow, they had found a way to stretch out into hours.

She sighed and returned to gazing out of the window, like she'd been doing so for most of the lesson. Ever since she'd looked up and gazed at Haru in the eye, she'd been fairly distracted and lost in thought about her childhood.

The walk to school had gone smoothly enough. Makoto informed Haru which class he was in, and told him a little about their new homeroom teacher. By the end of the first day, she'd already been nicknamed Ama-chan by her students.

They had walked along the path, the ocean once more to their left. Makoto had made a comment about swimming in it, a comment that made Hana's blood freeze. She'd stopped walking for a moment, Makoto the only one to notice. He stopped and looked back at her. "Hana?" he'd asked.

"The ocean?" she'd hissed. "Makoto, are you sure that's a wide idea?"

A flicker of undoubt passed through his eyes, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared. Hana almost believed she had imagined seeing it at all.

Almost.

"I'm sure. We only swim when it's summer, and the ocean is calm. And though I may be afraid, I never swim alone."

Hana had guessed she was supposed to be reassured by those words, but they had the opposite effect. Instead, she'd stopped walking for a moment and gazed out at the ocean, her eyes distant as they saw without really taking in what was before her. "It's when the ocean is calm that it's most deceptive," she'd whispered softly.

And then, as though she'd received a jolt back to reality, she squared her shoulders and turned away sharply, moving on at a brisk pace to catch up with Haru who hadn't noticed either had stopped.

Once they had arrived at school and seated themselves, there had been an amusing situation where Ama-chan had read Harus name and mistaken him for a girl. Due to his lack on reaction, Hana was sure that wasn't the first time his girly name had ended up with him being mistaken for an actual girl, even if Makoto had hurriedly corrected Ama-chan.

But all amusement had stopped there; the rest of the day had been fairly dull.

"Hana?" a voice said.

Shocked, Hana jumped a mile. A hand over her heart, she whipped her head around to find who had spoken. She felt herself relax a little. "What is it?"

Makoto smiled. "Do you want to join Haru and I for lunch?"

She shrugged and glanced over at Haru. "Sure," she said, her brow furrowed slightly. "A-Are you sure Haru won't mind? We didn't exactly meet under the best of circumstances." _And that's all on me._

"I can guarantee you, Haru doesn't mind. Now, come on. Do you want to join us?"

Hana paused an pondered for a minute, then smiled and stood. "I'd love to."

After she'd produced her lunch from her bag, she joined the other two for the route up the roof. Somehow, she had been sandwiched between the two of then as she walked. Because of her height, she only reached Makoto's shoulders, which made her only a little smaller than Haru. Either way, she had to tilt her head up whenever she wanted to speak with them.

"I didn't bring lunch," Haru sighed as they walked.

Hana raised an eyebrow. "Go buy something then," she suggested. "That's, if you brought money." She flushed. _If he didn't bring lunch, I doubt he brought money! Sort of a pointless suggestion._ She looked down at her sandwich.

"Or do you want some of this?" Makoto unwrapped the packaging of the food he was carrying. "Squid."

At the sight of the squid, Hana wrinkled her nose. She wasn't exactly the world's biggest seafood fan.

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" someone called. Hana whipped around, shocked. Her heart rate had increased a little at the sudden voice, but it was already starting to return to normal.

It was easy to detect the speaker of the voice. He was the only one in the room other than them, and he was waving at the two boys with a large smile on his face. His blonde hair seemed to be the reflection of his bright personality. "It's been forever!" the boy continued, enthusiastic and excited. "I'll be joining you here at Iwatobi High School!"

_Who is he?_ Hana wandered, squinting curiously at the boy. All she could deduce about the boy was that he was in the first year. She was aware of Makoto and Haru speaking in the background, but didn't pay much attention to it.

There was a unified gasp in the background, followed by a chorus of, "_Nagisa_?"

Nagisa smiled and nodded. "Yup."

Hana's gaze flicked between the three boys. "You know each other?"

Haru nodded. "We went to the same swim club."

Nagisa looked at Hana curiously. "And, who's she?" he asked. If anyone else spoke it, the question may have come across as rude, but the young, cheerful Nagisa made it sound like nothing more then curiousness.

Hana chuckled lightly. "I'm Hana. Etsumi Hana," she introduced herself. "Makoto and I are childhood friends, and I knew Haru, though I moved away before they started at the swim club. Now," here she shrugged, "I've moved back."

"Oh." Nagisa grinned. "Nice to meet you, Hana-chan."

"Oh!" Hana exclaimed. She shook her head, waving her arms as she did so for extra emphasis. "Oh no, no. Just Hana, please. No 'chan' needed."

"Good luck trying to convince him otherwise," Haru muttered.

Hana looked sidelong at him and smiled softly. "I'll do my best. I don't need 'chan' tagged on the end of my name."

The group of now four wandered up to the roof. Like yesterday, Hana leaned a little over the edge, supported by her elbows. It was peaceful up here, away from the hustle and bustke of everyday life.

"How many years has it been?" Makoto asked Nagisa presently. "I don't think I saw you after the swimming club was shut down."

"Yep, because I went to a different school," Nagisa replied. Standing between him and Haru, Hana felt a little reasured that she wasn't the smallest in the group; she was a little taller than Nagisa was.

"There are cherry blossom trees next to the pool!" Nagisa exclaimed suddenly, scaring Hana. She chuckled, reflecting how jumpy she was that day. "Weren't there cherry blossom trees next to the pool at your grade school, Haru-chan?" Nagisa had to lean forward to see Haru past Hana.

"Can you stop calling me that?" Haru sighed.

Nagisa looked a little confused. "But that's your name, Haru-chan."

Hana could sense a small disagreement on the horizon, but thankfully Makoto jumped in just in time. "But that pool is old and not in use," he told Nagisa. "There's no swim club, either."

"Where do you swim then?" Nagisa asked.

_The ocean_, Hana thought, shuddering delicately. Though she didn't like water in general, the ocean scared her more than a pool.

"I quit swimming competitively," Haru muttered, his gaze fixated on the abandoned pool.

"_What_?" Nagisa yelped. He was so shocked that it was as though someone had just electrocuted him. "Why'd you quit? I was all excited about getting to swim with you again in high school!"

"We're not little kids any more," Haru said. "Things aren't the way they used to be."

"Haru-chan..." Nagisa trailed off, looking ashen.

"Well, he stopped swimming competitively, but he still loves water," Makoto commented. A smile was on his face. "Haru can't live without being in water. During the summer, he swims in the ocean, and he was soaking in the tub this morning."

Nagisa was bewildered. "What does that have to do with swimming? That just means he liked baths." Hana could almost see the idea hit him in the head as he turned, his eyes bright and excited. "I know! How about a hot springs club? Let's start a hot springs club!"

"I can't stand the heat," Haru retorted instantly.

"Don't be like that!"

"Boys, boys," Hana sighed. She was already between them but made this more prominent, standing to her full height and placing her hands on her hips. "There's no need to argue," she mock scolded, grinning.

Nagisa looked down, faking submission. "Yes, Hana-chan."

"Hana," she corrected instantly, and felt as though she'd be saying this for a long time to come.

Makoto cleared his throat. "Hey, do you want to go back down? I think lunch break is not far off ending."

There was a chorus of agreement, and all four trooped off to head back down. On the way, Hana laughed at a joke made by Nagisa, and teased Makoto briefly as she noticed him look at another girl who was on the roof, one who had long red hair.

She hadn't even known these boys for very long, but she already felt as though she belonged.


End file.
